Puddle of Mudd may sometimes fly under the radar but they have definitely been making sound waves in the music atmosphere for quite some time. They have a great chemistry on stage and it can get quite electric when they feed off of the vibe of the crowd. In 2001 their song "Blurry," was the most-played song across all rock radio formats. They have released 2 independent and 4 major label albums, with their latest being Volume 4: Songs in the Key of Love & Hate. They will be playing at Rock on the Range in Columbus, Ohio this upcoming weekend on Saturday, May 22nd. Drummer Ryan Yerdon chats about the summer, drums, touring, and more.
Growing up what drew you to the drums? Have you ever played a different instrument?
Drums were my first instrument, I play guitar now as well. I think that it was from watching my dad’s band practice in the garage and kind of being drawn to the energy that comes off the drums. I’ve played in a bunch of pop bands, some punk bands, a handful of rock bands, and some indie avant-garde kind of weird bands and stuff like that.
How do you think that influences you musically?
It influences me to keep my ears open and listen to what everybody else is doing and to try to compliment them. It really pushes you away from being selfish and helps you to become more of a team player.
Who are some of your musical influences?
I listen to a bunch of different things; from Led Zeppelin, Todd Rundgren, Death Cab for Cutie, Tom Petty, Neil Young, The Clash, Elliott Smith, and a bunch of early rock bands that inspire me. It could be a singer-songwriter or just a great band that I’ve been listening to. Recently I’ve been listening to a lot of Nick Drake, he's an older '60s/'70s folk dude that I think is a genius. I think Kings of Leon are probably the best new rock band in America and I can’t stop listening to the Foo Fighters. I think that they’re a fantastic rock band. Dave Grohl is definitely a rarity and incredibly talented. He’s definitely one of my influences as far as rock music goes.
So if you could meet any one that is living or deceased who would it be?
Alive I would go with Tom Petty or Neil Young. Hmm... As for who’s passed on… I think Nick Drake.
How would you describe the new album Volume 4: Songs in the Key of Love & Hate?
I would describe it as raw and energetic with a lot of up tempo songs.
What are you looking forward to this summer?
We’re going to be on the road with the Carnival of Madness tour. It’s gonna be awesome! I’m looking forward to that and there’s a bunch of festivals that we’re gonna play. It’s always fun to go and see different bands that we don’t normally play with.
How do you feel about life on the road and what are some must haves when touring?
The must haves are all of my computer stuff. I need my Macbook and my iPhone because I kind of live through that. I need to connect to the rest of the world; my friends, family, business and all that kind of stuff. The thing that I like about being on the road is playing music every night. I mean to truly do what you love and look up while onstage and to see the guys really into it is truly awesome! There’s just moments like that when the whole crowd is into it and everybody’s singing and we’re really having fun and killing it. The feeling afterward from playing music, it’s like medicine for me personally. I find when I take my medicine (play music) after that I’m relaxed and I can go to sleep and not freak out anymore. The downside is sometimes the traveling and living for nine weeks with twelve people can get to ya. You have to really get along or else you can’t do that. You don’t get to sleep in your own bed for long lengths of time plus you miss your family and your friends.
Has music always been your career path?
When I was thirteen years old I wanted to play hockey really bad. That lasted for six or seven months and then I decided that I didn’t want to play hockey, I just wanted to play music. I’d already got a head start on that and I loved playing music, that’s what I wanted to do. Basically since 8th grade and high school I haven’t thought about anything else at all other than music. There wasn’t really another option. There were times when I'd have to do whatever to make money, but I would always be pursuing music aggressively.
Has anyone ever given you any great advice on being a musician?
In 2002, I was recording a record with producer Howard Benson. He actually ended up producing “Psycho” years later. But he told me, “As soon as you think you know, you have no idea.” So as soon as you think you got the business figured out something happens that throws off your whole entire theory. That kind of stuck with me because he’s been involved in so many records and with so many record labels and he was originally an aeronautical engineer. Before he worked in the music industry he was working for NASA.
Last Words?
Everybody has an opinion about everything but you’re the only person that can make the difference in your life. Nobody else is going to do it for you.
Puddle of Mudd will play the first day of Rock on the Range Saturday, May 22nd on the Monster Energy Main stage at 2:55pm.
For more info on Puddle of Mudd visit http://www.puddleofmudd.com
Rock on the Range - 5/22 & 5/23 - One Black & Gold Boulevard, Columbus OH - (614) 447-CREW - www.rockontherange.com - 2 day Stadium passes $99.50 - 2 day Field passes $119.50 - www.ticketmaster.com
Comments